Liverpool confirm Carabao Cup plans amid FIFA Club World Cup fixture chaos

Liverpool have confirmed they will play two separate teams in fixtures 24 hours apart in different continents next month. The Reds will take on Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on December 17 and will face thier FIFA Club World Cup semi-final in Qatar on December 18. Jurgen Klopp revealed the club were considering withdrawing from the Carabao Cup as a solution to their fixture chaos. But they have now announced plans to send separate squads to the two games in order to ensure they can complete their allocated fixtures in both competitions. Here is the statement from the club: "Liverpool Football Club can confirm our Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Aston Villa will take place on Tuesday December 17, 2019. As a result, we will be utilising two playing squads simultaneously, with one squad participating in the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar and another in the Carabao Cup. "The club would like to take this opportunity to underline that while this is not an ideal scenario, it is an outcome which was arrived at with the best interests of the competition, our fellow clubs and ourselves as the sole motivating factor. We would like to thank the EFL for their efforts to accommodate us and we can confirm alternative dates were discussed, but ultimately none were considered suitable without compromising the scheduling of the competition itself or placing an undue strain on our playing staff."

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